Written questions by Davies.

What steps he is taking to hold integrated care boards to account for meeting their statutory duty and implementing policy frameworks on children’s palliative care.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, including for children and young people, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.NHS England has a legal duty to annually assess the performance of each ICB in respect of each financial year, and to publish a summary of its findings. This assessment must assess how well the ICB has discharged its functions.

When the New Business Growth Service is going to be launched.

The new Business Growth service will simplify the government’s business support ecosystem to ensure businesses get the support they need with local delivery at its heart and all underpinned by an improved online service. This will help deliver the government’s forthcoming Small Business Strategy, complementing the Industrial Strategy, Trade Strategy and Make Work Pay plans as part of a comprehensive approach to our Growth Mission.We expect to launch this service in the summer.

Whether he has consulted with independent retailers on the development of the New Business Growth Service.

The new Business Growth Service will regularly review user feedback to ensure it delivers what businesses need to support their growth and productivity. My department is therefore engaging widely with stakeholders, especially entrepreneurs and small business owners, on the design and implementation of the service. This has included a series of roundtables and consultation events across the country and delivered via partners. This process will continue, even after the service launches to continue to refine and improve it.The Department for Business and Trade engages regularly with retailers of all types, including independent retailers, through key trade associations in the Business Growth Service.

Whether he plans to publish a Sexual Health Action Plan.

We are committed to improving sexual heath in England, and the Department, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are working together to develop a new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. A key objective of the new plan will be to stabilise and support wider sexual health system enablers.To help improve local authority commissioned sexual and reproductive health services, in 2025/26 we are increasing funding through the ring-fenced Public Health Grant to £3.858 billion, providing local authorities with an average 5.4% cash increase and a 3% real terms increase. This represents a significant turning point for local health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending.We continue to support the delivery of local sexual health services, by providing guidance and data to support local decision makers. In October 2024, the UKHSA published the STI Prioritisation Framework, which, combined with ongoing support from the UKHSA, will enable local systems to identify which combination of interventions to focus on for which populations, informed by the local situation.

What training is provided to prison staff to support literacy education.

Improving literacy education, including reading, is a priority for His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). HMPPS has established a panel of experts to provide advice on effective approaches for teaching reading in prisons. This expert panel includes representatives from the Department for Education with whom we work closely to ensure that prison education is well-aligned with community education. HMPPS has also worked to improve literacy rates for prisoners through core literacy education and whole prison reading strategies. Latest published data (for 2023/24) shows a 5% increase in participation in English functional skills across public prisons in England, and a 21% increase in prisoner learners who achieved a full grade in English functional skills, compared to 2022/23. Heads of Education, Skills and Work are now in every prison, bringing expertise from the education sector directly to prison education. New core contracts will be launched later this year which will deliver enhanced screening and assessment in English, reading and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), as well as screening for additional learning needs. HMPPS is piloting two reading and literacy projects across 15 prisons to test approaches to reading and literacy. Reading screening has been introduced to identify prisoners reading support levels, enabling the development of prison reading strategies and effective commissioning through the Core Education Contracts. All prison officers undergo training in their roles and responsibilities with supporting education, including literacy education and reading. At the launch of the National Reading Framework, HMPPS provided dedicated training to key HMPPS staff. The National Reading Framework provides guidance for prisons to develop and assess the impact of tailored reading support for prisoners as well as promoting a culture where prisoners are encouraged to read for pleasure.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of literacy programs in prisons.

We have robust evidence on the positive benefits of education to reducing reoffending, however, we don’t have specific evidence for the link between literacy levels and reoffending. We are currently improving our understanding of factors influencing participation in different prison education types, including literacy courses, through the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme.This learning will continue to support our evolving understanding of what more we can do to improve literacy in prisons. We are also investing in an evaluation of the new Prisoner Education Service which will include the delivery of functional English skills.The success of formal literacy education is primarily measured by prisoners ‘achieving’ and getting an accredited qualification. Latest published data (for 2023/24) shows a 5% increase in participation in English functional skills and a 21% increase in prisoner learners who achieved a full grade in English functional skills, compared to 2022/23, across public prisons in England

What steps her Department is taking to (a) measure and (b) evaluate the effectiveness of literacy programs in prisons.

We have robust evidence on the positive benefits of education to reducing reoffending, however, we don’t have specific evidence for the link between literacy levels and reoffending. We are currently improving our understanding of factors influencing participation in different prison education types, including literacy courses, through the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme.This learning will continue to support our evolving understanding of what more we can do to improve literacy in prisons. We are also investing in an evaluation of the new Prisoner Education Service which will include the delivery of functional English skills.The success of formal literacy education is primarily measured by prisoners ‘achieving’ and getting an accredited qualification. Latest published data (for 2023/24) shows a 5% increase in participation in English functional skills and a 21% increase in prisoner learners who achieved a full grade in English functional skills, compared to 2022/23, across public prisons in England

What steps her Department is taking to improve literacy rates amongst prisoners.

Improving literacy education, including reading, is a priority for His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). HMPPS has established a panel of experts to provide advice on effective approaches for teaching reading in prisons. This expert panel includes representatives from the Department for Education with whom we work closely to ensure that prison education is well-aligned with community education. HMPPS has also worked to improve literacy rates for prisoners through core literacy education and whole prison reading strategies. Latest published data (for 2023/24) shows a 5% increase in participation in English functional skills across public prisons in England, and a 21% increase in prisoner learners who achieved a full grade in English functional skills, compared to 2022/23. Heads of Education, Skills and Work are now in every prison, bringing expertise from the education sector directly to prison education. New core contracts will be launched later this year which will deliver enhanced screening and assessment in English, reading and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), as well as screening for additional learning needs. HMPPS is piloting two reading and literacy projects across 15 prisons to test approaches to reading and literacy. Reading screening has been introduced to identify prisoners reading support levels, enabling the development of prison reading strategies and effective commissioning through the Core Education Contracts. All prison officers undergo training in their roles and responsibilities with supporting education, including literacy education and reading. At the launch of the National Reading Framework, HMPPS provided dedicated training to key HMPPS staff. The National Reading Framework provides guidance for prisons to develop and assess the impact of tailored reading support for prisoners as well as promoting a culture where prisoners are encouraged to read for pleasure.

Whether she has made a comparative assessment of the relationship between literacy improvement and re-offending rates.

We have robust evidence on the positive benefits of education to reducing reoffending, however, we don’t have specific evidence for the link between literacy levels and reoffending. We are currently improving our understanding of factors influencing participation in different prison education types, including literacy courses, through the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme.This learning will continue to support our evolving understanding of what more we can do to improve literacy in prisons. We are also investing in an evaluation of the new Prisoner Education Service which will include the delivery of functional English skills.The success of formal literacy education is primarily measured by prisoners ‘achieving’ and getting an accredited qualification. Latest published data (for 2023/24) shows a 5% increase in participation in English functional skills and a 21% increase in prisoner learners who achieved a full grade in English functional skills, compared to 2022/23, across public prisons in England

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving literacy education in prisons.

Improving literacy education, including reading, is a priority for His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). HMPPS has established a panel of experts to provide advice on effective approaches for teaching reading in prisons. This expert panel includes representatives from the Department for Education with whom we work closely to ensure that prison education is well-aligned with community education. HMPPS has also worked to improve literacy rates for prisoners through core literacy education and whole prison reading strategies. Latest published data (for 2023/24) shows a 5% increase in participation in English functional skills across public prisons in England, and a 21% increase in prisoner learners who achieved a full grade in English functional skills, compared to 2022/23. Heads of Education, Skills and Work are now in every prison, bringing expertise from the education sector directly to prison education. New core contracts will be launched later this year which will deliver enhanced screening and assessment in English, reading and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), as well as screening for additional learning needs. HMPPS is piloting two reading and literacy projects across 15 prisons to test approaches to reading and literacy. Reading screening has been introduced to identify prisoners reading support levels, enabling the development of prison reading strategies and effective commissioning through the Core Education Contracts. All prison officers undergo training in their roles and responsibilities with supporting education, including literacy education and reading. At the launch of the National Reading Framework, HMPPS provided dedicated training to key HMPPS staff. The National Reading Framework provides guidance for prisons to develop and assess the impact of tailored reading support for prisoners as well as promoting a culture where prisoners are encouraged to read for pleasure.

Whether her Department provides support for prisoners to help them continue improving their literacy skills after release.

A key aim of His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) prison education service is to support prisoners to develop their functional literacy skills so that they can be fully rehabilitated into society upon release. Prisoners have access to local further education colleges in the community, and prison libraries can work with local libraries to ensure prisoners can register for services upon release.Post-release, male ex-prisoners with education needs are signposted towards existing services including Creating Future Opportunities, which supports prisoners to address barriers to accessing opportunities, such as low levels of literacy, Department for Work and Pensions, and other local provisions. For women on probation, the Women’s Services contracts deliver holistic wraparound support that in addition to the specific ETE pathway, offers other support services to women that increase their ability to progress in education.

Whether his Department collects data on how many young people with cancer were diagnosed at stage (a) one and (b) two.

The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. Data is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrsThe most recent published data on registrations of cancer in young people is in the Accredited Official Statistics on Cancer Registrations covering 2022, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2022Young people, those aged zero to 24 years old, are diagnosed with types of cancer that are only stageable in half of all cases. Of those diagnoses which are stageable, the proportion of diagnoses with a valid recorded stage that are diagnosed at stage 1 is 35%. Of those diagnoses which are stageable, the proportion of diagnoses with a valid recorded stage that are diagnosed at stage 2 is 26%.The most recent published data on how young people presented with cancer is in the Rapid Cancer Registration Data set. The most recent complete year for which data is available is 2023. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rcrdApproximately 39% of young people first present in hospital as an emergency presentation.Some of the most common cancers diagnosed in young people, like brain tumours, have very significant symptoms associated with them, and in these cases the recommended course of action is to attend accident and emergency rather than following a managed pathway.

Whether the Government collects data on how many young people with cancer were diagnosed in A&E.

The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. Data is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrsThe most recent published data on registrations of cancer in young people is in the Accredited Official Statistics on Cancer Registrations covering 2022, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2022Young people, those aged zero to 24 years old, are diagnosed with types of cancer that are only stageable in half of all cases. Of those diagnoses which are stageable, the proportion of diagnoses with a valid recorded stage that are diagnosed at stage 1 is 35%. Of those diagnoses which are stageable, the proportion of diagnoses with a valid recorded stage that are diagnosed at stage 2 is 26%.The most recent published data on how young people presented with cancer is in the Rapid Cancer Registration Data set. The most recent complete year for which data is available is 2023. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rcrdApproximately 39% of young people first present in hospital as an emergency presentation.Some of the most common cancers diagnosed in young people, like brain tumours, have very significant symptoms associated with them, and in these cases the recommended course of action is to attend accident and emergency rather than following a managed pathway.

If he will meet young people with cancer to discuss their experiences.

NHS England and other local health organisations publish information on the signs and symptoms of cancers that are most common in children and young people.However, the Department recognises there is more to be done to improve outcomes and experience for children and young people with cancer. We also know that children's experiences of cancer are not uniform, and that there are inequalities in care and outcomes between different groups.That is why we have relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce which will identify improvements for children across four key areas: early detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience.The Department is committed to ensuring the experiences of young cancer patients are reflected in our work. We are working with Taskforce members to assemble a Patient Experience Panel, made up of young people with lived experience of cancer and their families, which will feed directly into the work of the Taskforce.The Taskforce will play a key role in ensuring that children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the national cancer plan, which will examine how to reduce inequalities faced by different patient groups. Alongside the relaunch of the Taskforce, we have launched a Call for Evidence, in which the views of people across the country will inform our plan to improve cancer care. Those who wish to share their views can do so by 29 April 2025 on the new online platform, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

What steps his Department is taking to help increase awareness of the symptoms of cancer amongst young people.

NHS England and other local health organisations publish information on the signs and symptoms of cancers that are most common in children and young people.However, the Department recognises there is more to be done to improve outcomes and experience for children and young people with cancer. We also know that children's experiences of cancer are not uniform, and that there are inequalities in care and outcomes between different groups.That is why we have relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce which will identify improvements for children across four key areas: early detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience.The Department is committed to ensuring the experiences of young cancer patients are reflected in our work. We are working with Taskforce members to assemble a Patient Experience Panel, made up of young people with lived experience of cancer and their families, which will feed directly into the work of the Taskforce.The Taskforce will play a key role in ensuring that children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the national cancer plan, which will examine how to reduce inequalities faced by different patient groups. Alongside the relaunch of the Taskforce, we have launched a Call for Evidence, in which the views of people across the country will inform our plan to improve cancer care. Those who wish to share their views can do so by 29 April 2025 on the new online platform, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

What steps he is taking with his counterparts in other countries to share best practice for reducing HIV stigma.

The Department, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are developing a new HIV Action Plan, which will include an objective on tackling stigma. The Terrence Higgins Trust, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the National AIDS Trust have been undertaking external stakeholder engagement within the community and voluntary sector to feed into the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year.The Department is investing over £5.5 million from 2021 to 2026 to deliver the national HIV prevention programme, HIV Prevention England (HPE). HPE aims to reduce the stigma around HIV testing, through National HIV Testing Week, during which we dispatch over 20,000 HIV testing kits in England. HPE also hosted a HIV Stigma Symposium in March 2024, which brought together approximately 100 community experts, activists, healthcare professionals, and affected individuals to discuss the impact of HIV stigma and explore effective stigma reduction strategies.The UKHSA continues to monitor the levels of stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV within the health and social care system, through the Positive Voices survey, most recently published in 2024.Officials in the Department continue to meet with counterparts from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to share information to help end new HIV transmissions by 2030.

Whether the national cancer plan will help to tackle inequalities for young people with cancer.

NHS England and other local health organisations publish information on the signs and symptoms of cancers that are most common in children and young people.However, the Department recognises there is more to be done to improve outcomes and experience for children and young people with cancer. We also know that children's experiences of cancer are not uniform, and that there are inequalities in care and outcomes between different groups.That is why we have relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce which will identify improvements for children across four key areas: early detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience.The Department is committed to ensuring the experiences of young cancer patients are reflected in our work. We are working with Taskforce members to assemble a Patient Experience Panel, made up of young people with lived experience of cancer and their families, which will feed directly into the work of the Taskforce.The Taskforce will play a key role in ensuring that children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the national cancer plan, which will examine how to reduce inequalities faced by different patient groups. Alongside the relaunch of the Taskforce, we have launched a Call for Evidence, in which the views of people across the country will inform our plan to improve cancer care. Those who wish to share their views can do so by 29 April 2025 on the new online platform, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

Whether he is taking steps to measure the effectiveness of the steps his Department is taking to reduce HIV stigma.

The Department, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are developing a new HIV Action Plan, which will include an objective on tackling stigma. The Terrence Higgins Trust, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the National AIDS Trust have been undertaking external stakeholder engagement within the community and voluntary sector to feed into the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year.The Department is investing over £5.5 million from 2021 to 2026 to deliver the national HIV prevention programme, HIV Prevention England (HPE). HPE aims to reduce the stigma around HIV testing, through National HIV Testing Week, during which we dispatch over 20,000 HIV testing kits in England. HPE also hosted a HIV Stigma Symposium in March 2024, which brought together approximately 100 community experts, activists, healthcare professionals, and affected individuals to discuss the impact of HIV stigma and explore effective stigma reduction strategies.The UKHSA continues to monitor the levels of stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV within the health and social care system, through the Positive Voices survey, most recently published in 2024.Officials in the Department continue to meet with counterparts from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to share information to help end new HIV transmissions by 2030.

What steps he is taking help support community organizations to tackle HIV stigma.

The Department, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are developing a new HIV Action Plan, which will include an objective on tackling stigma. The Terrence Higgins Trust, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the National AIDS Trust have been undertaking external stakeholder engagement within the community and voluntary sector to feed into the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year.The Department is investing over £5.5 million from 2021 to 2026 to deliver the national HIV prevention programme, HIV Prevention England (HPE). HPE aims to reduce the stigma around HIV testing, through National HIV Testing Week, during which we dispatch over 20,000 HIV testing kits in England. HPE also hosted a HIV Stigma Symposium in March 2024, which brought together approximately 100 community experts, activists, healthcare professionals, and affected individuals to discuss the impact of HIV stigma and explore effective stigma reduction strategies.The UKHSA continues to monitor the levels of stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV within the health and social care system, through the Positive Voices survey, most recently published in 2024.Officials in the Department continue to meet with counterparts from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to share information to help end new HIV transmissions by 2030.

How many and what proportion of young people with cancer were entered into clinical trials in March 2025.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) does not currently hold data on the number of young people with cancer enrolled into clinical trials in March 2025 as this time period is still ongoing.Department-funded NIHR research and infrastructure is enabling clinical trial participation for children and young people with cancer. Through the NIHR, the Department also jointly funds the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre Paediatric Cancer Network with Cancer Research UK and the Little Princess Trust, which brings together clinicians and translational scientists to run early phase clinical trials for children and young people with cancer.